In the final moments before his sanity completely disappeared, Hewg addressed Arthur as his king.

He swore loyalty to him.

And entrusted Roderika to his care.

Arthur had already accepted Hewg’s blacksmithing notes, so naturally, he intended to fulfill that request.

After storing away the Black Knife and the forging journal, he returned to the fireplace in the main hall.

Roderika was still standing there, having already completed the enhancement of Voldemort’s ashes.

When she saw Arthur walk out, she quietly asked,

"Did Master Hewg agree to leave?"

Arthur shook his head.

"Hewg no longer remembers me."

Roderika lowered her gaze and sighed softly.

"I see..."

"So it wasn’t only me."

"Even you have been forgotten by him..."

"There truly is no saving him anymore..."

She paused briefly before continuing,

"Perhaps there is still a way to persuade him to leave the Roundtable Hold."

"But... I’ve decided to give up."

"Because staying here... was Master Hewg’s own choice."

Arthur had no intention of telling her that Hewg’s life had long since become bound to the Roundtable Hold itself.

Revealing that truth would only bring Roderika more sorrow.

Instead, he asked,

"What about you? Where do you plan to go?"

Roderika answered without hesitation,

"I’ll stay here with Master Hewg."

"He was the one who gave meaning to my life."

"So now... it’s my turn to repay him."

"Even if my strength is insignificant..."

"I still want to help him."

Then she looked seriously at Arthur.

"Master Hewg always said that you were his true king."

"It was only because of an oath that he couldn’t formally swear loyalty to you."

"So..."

"Please become Elden Lord."

Arthur replied calmly,

"Whether I become Elden Lord or not can wait until later."

"But I promised Hewg I would take care of you."

"So I hope you’ll leave with me."

"After all... the Roundtable Hold will burn before long."

However, Roderika still shook her head.

"Thank you for your kindness."

"But I still want to remain here."

Seeing her refusal, Arthur continued,

"Don’t forget."

"I was the one who brought you to the Roundtable Hold."

"And I was also the one who helped you become Hewg’s apprentice in spirit tuning."

"If we’re being honest..."

"I also played a major role in giving your life meaning."

"Now both Hewg and I want you to continue living properly."

"So shouldn’t you listen to us?"

Roderika’s resolve visibly wavered.

She hesitated before speaking softly,

"But... I want to stay here and take care of Master Hewg."

"And if I leave..."

"I don’t even know what I should do afterward."

"If that happens..."

"Wouldn’t my life lose its meaning again?"

Arthur thought for a moment.

Then he took out the key to the Zen Garden from his system storage.

"Give me your hand."

Although Roderika didn’t understand what he intended to do, she obediently extended her hand.

Arthur pressed the Zen Garden key gently into her palm as he explained,

"The mark I’m leaving on your hand will allow you to enter my private space."

"You can remain here in the Roundtable Hold and continue taking care of Hewg until the Hold dies alongside him."

"After that..."

"Come to my garden."

"And become one of its gardeners."

Of course, the "gardener" Arthur referred to was no ordinary gardener.

He specifically meant someone responsible for tending Grave Glovewort.

That special plant possessed the ability to strengthen souls, and Arthur had previously attempted to cultivate it inside the Zen Garden.

Unfortunately, the results had never been satisfactory, so the project had eventually been shelved.

But now, with Roderika—a genuine spirit tuner—by his side, Arthur felt it was finally time to restart the Grave Glovewort cultivation project.

Naturally, Arthur had not used a materialization attempt on Roderika.

As a result, she could only travel between the Lands Between and the Zen Garden.

She could not enter the real world.

In a sense, Arthur had successfully exploited a tiny loophole in the system.

(System: ...Forget it. The impact is negligible. I’ll allow it.)

Roderika was extremely satisfied with the compromise Arthur offered.

This way, she could continue caring for Hewg without betraying either Hewg’s wishes or Arthur’s expectations for her future.

As for becoming a gardener—

Roderika had no objections whatsoever.

As long as her life—

her existence—

continued to possess value and meaning—

that was enough for her.

She lowered herself into a noble curtsy and solemnly declared,

"Thank you for your generosity, Tarnished..."

"No..."

"I should address you properly now."

"King."

"Roderika hereby swears loyalty to you."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly took out Voldemort’s ashes and handed them over.

"This is your ashes."

Arthur instantly went speechless.

What did she mean by "his" ashes?

The way she phrased it made it sound like he had already died and been cremated.

Taking the ashes from her hands, Arthur rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"Next time, finish the sentence properly."

Only then did Roderika realize the problem with her wording.

Her face instantly turned pale with panic.

"I-I’m sorry, my—!"

"No...!"

"I didn’t mean it that way!"

Arthur waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s fine. Just be more careful next time."

Then he added,

"And from now on, just call me Arthur."

Truthfully, he had already grown accustomed to hearing the title "King" from Ranni.

At some point, he had subconsciously started treating it as something uniquely hers.

So when Roderika used the same title, it felt strangely uncomfortable.

Roderika nodded obediently.

"Yes, Lord Arthur."

She didn’t directly call him by name alone, instead adding "Lord" afterward.

Honestly, that sounded much more natural.

After all, the members of the Carian Royal Family and the scholars of Raya Lucaria addressed him the same way.

Arthur simply let it be.

"Alright."

"Stay here and accompany Hewg."

"I should get going now."

His purpose for coming to the Roundtable Hold had already been fulfilled.

If anything, he had gained even more than expected.

And tomorrow morning—

he still needed to deal with Voldemort.

It was time to leave.

Roderika bowed once more.

"Safe travels, Lord Arthur."

Arthur waved casually before turning and leaving the Roundtable Hold.

...

After returning to the Zen Garden, Arthur found Melina and handed the Black Knife to her.

Melina narrowed her eyes slightly.

"This is... the Black Knife?"

Clearly, she recognized its existence.

It was simply somewhat different from the one she remembered—

which left her uncertain.

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